International Airports in North Carolina

Here is some information about specific international and/or major regional airports in North Carolina.

  • Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) located between the two cities of the Wake County covers 1,995 hectares of land and has three runways. The airport has nearly 500 daily flights catering to 44 domestic and international destinations. RDU is the first airport in the region, having been opened in 1929 originally as a municipal airport. The area’s limited space has led to the construction of a larger replacement airport to cater to both the Raleigh and Durham area, which opened on May 1, 1943, with flight by Eastern Airlines. Other airlines that have been servicing in the airport are Capital Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Allegheny Airlines, Trans World Airlines, and American Airlines. By 2007, passenger traffic in RDU has reached approximately 10 million passengers. For those who are entering or leaving RDU airport, public transportation is always provided by the Triangle transit, a regional bus service the Wake, Durham, and Orange counties, the Triangle region of North Carolina. One can also choose to hire a taxi, shuttle or rental car services.
  • Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) located west of Greensboro services the cities Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. The planning stage of the PTIA started in 1927 with the purchasing of 45 hectares of land for an airmail route. In May 1927, the property was christened, leading to the first regular airmail service in North Carolina in 1928 (the second in the United States), and named it Pitcairn Aviation, Incorporated. After it was closed due to the Great Depression, it reopened in 1937 now with a new name, Eastern Air Transport, which later became Eastern Air Lines. In 1958, he opened a passenger terminal, changing its name to Greensboro-High Point Regional Airport and was changed again Greensboro-High Point Airport and again to Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point Regional Airport. In 1987, the airport was again renamed to its current name, in lieu of the construction of new facilities.
  • Wilmington International Airport or New Hanover County International Airport is located in northern Wilmington. This former military base has two long runways and a single terminal. This airport is also one of the few airports that can be used for emergency Space Shuttle take-off. Among its current improvements and renovations are the inclusion of the development of a new Instrument Landing System and the resurfacing of the runway which has been untouched in 30 years.

Other primary airports in North Carolina are the following: Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, Fayetteville Regional Airport in Fayetteville, Pitt-Greenville Airport in Greenville, Albert J. Ellis Airport in Jacksonville, Kinston Regional Airport in Kinston and Craven County Regional Airport in New Bern.